, ,

Challenging Poverty in The Solomon Islands

Navigating Post-Conflict Challenges in the Solomon IslandsFor five years, from 1998 to 2003, violent civil conflict battered the Solomon Islands, leaving deep scars. Islanders still working to rebuild and rehabilitate their communities bear the burdens of social, political and economic instability. The challenges are stark: nearly 200,000 people live below the poverty line, a significant portion of the population relies on subsistence farming and 16.5% are undernourished. In response to these pressing issues, the United Nations (U.N.) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) are actively addressing gender inequality, food insecurity, disease and poverty in the Solomon Islands.

Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Rights

The Solomon Islands is a deeply patriarchal and conservative society, but it is making significant progress toward female empowerment. The U.N. General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women on 18 Dec. 1979. It advances the roles of women and girls in all spheres of life, from agriculture to government. The Solomon Islands enacted its first Family Protection Act 35 years later, a landmark piece of legislation that outlawed domestic violence and significantly stepped toward protecting women from physical and sexual assault. According to the U.N. Women, the government advances women’s equity by implementing fee-free education and enacting targeted measures to increase primary and secondary education enrollment rates, enabling girls to start and stay in school.

Economic Competitiveness through Agriculture

Solomon Islanders primarily work in agriculture, mining, forestry, fishing and tourism. Their main exports—fish and timber—have been depleted. This has led to widespread underemployment and left thousands unable to provide for their families. To enhance the Solomon Islands’ economic competitiveness, USAID partnered with the largest cocoa buyer in the Solomon Islands to promote farmers’ education, develop nurseries, renew family plantations and improve processing techniques. This collaboration has significantly impacted agribusiness by increasing farmers’ productivity and income. These interventions have also improved the governance of natural resources through partnerships with national, provincial and community partners.

Enhancing Health Care and Disease Prevention

The U.N. and USAID have played critical roles in advancing health care in the Solomon Islands. Each organization has significantly protected islanders from disease outbreaks and combated endemic strains of malaria, tuberculosis and dengue. Under its Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, the U.N. is upgrading the Islands’ Public Health Laboratory and enhancing access to clean water through its Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) program. Similarly, USAID has been supporting the Solomon Islands in combating COVID-19. This is being achieved by enhanced data collection, promoting vaccination campaigns, training health workers and procuring emergency equipment. During the pandemic’s peak, USAID worked with civil society organizations to establish quarantine facilities. Additionally, they supported case tracking and assisted in repatriating Solomon Islanders stranded overseas.

Looking Ahead

The Solomon Islands are steadily overcoming the aftermath of years of civil conflict through targeted efforts by the U.N. and USAID. These organizations are focusing on advancing gender equality, improving food security and enhancing health care services. By promoting women’s rights, boosting agricultural productivity and strengthening public health systems, the foundations for reducing poverty in the Solomon Islands are being set. A brighter and more resilient future for the Solomon Islands are being established.

– Natalie Kaufman

Natalie is based in Orlando, FL, USA and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

, ,

Understanding GBV in Uganda

GBV in UgandaAccording to the European Commission, gender-based violence (GBV) targets individuals based on their gender or disproportionately affects certain genders, often impacting women and children the most. In Uganda, GBV remains a significant issue, with statistics between 2018 and 2020 indicating an average of 5,000 new cases reported annually. This figure likely underrepresents the true extent of the problem. The violence affects not only Uganda’s national population but also the roughly 1.5 million refugees who have sought safety within the country.

GBV Uganda Projects

GBV Uganda Projects, an organization that provides funding in the form of loans, supports projects and small businesses that pay back their loans upon becoming profitable. These ongoing initiatives often focus on sustainability and include practical training for individuals to start their businesses. A key partner, SUP Community Initiatives Africa, began as a Community-Based Organization in 2013, targeting vulnerable individuals and communities in rural and slum areas. It registered as a Nongovernmental Organization (NGO) in 2022, with a mission to empower individuals and communities to address their vulnerabilities effectively.

Empowerment Through Tailoring Projects

GBV Uganda Projects has established a tailoring training initiative that includes building a training center and offering year-long courses in fashion design for 20 women and girls who had to leave school due to abuse. As of June 2024, these participants are taking exams, with a new group set to start in July 2024 and continue until December. This project underscores the organization’s belief that tailoring could be a viable path out of poverty, which often intersects with gender-based violence.

Youth Sport Uganda offers a six-month tailoring program that includes internships, helping 71 participants so far to launch their businesses and support their families. Similarly, The Followings Foundation runs the BEC Tailoring program, equipping individuals with not only tailoring skills but also essential business skills like machine maintenance, record-keeping and financial management, further enhancing their ability to be self-sufficient.

The Importance of Funding

GBV Projects Uganda successfully launched its tailoring initiative, funded by a £14,000 grant from the Welsh Government’s Wales and Africa Grant Scheme/Hub Cymru Africa. This financial support from international donors has enabled 20 participants to acquire crucial life skills, providing opportunities that would have otherwise been inaccessible. Despite these successes, the World Bank notes that prevention programs for gender-based violence in Uganda remain fragmented and limited in scope. This fragmentation often leads to less effective programming, as funding sources like the Wales and Africa Grant Scheme vary by project.

Recommendations and Global Efforts

In 2020, significant strides were made as the United Nations (U.N.), Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development and the Office of the Prime Minister collaborated to enhance systems addressing gender-based violence (GBV), focusing particularly on the vulnerabilities of refugee populations. This initiative was informed by findings from the Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project. By 2023, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported the successful implementation of the “SASA! Together model” and “the Girl Shine approach” in Uganda. These programs are part of a broader international effort to mitigate GBV. Since 2019, the Spotlight Initiative has also been instrumental, training more than 900 individuals to assist GBV victims, marking a significant advancement in local and global efforts against gender-based violence.

Looking Ahead

Efforts to address gender-based violence in Uganda are making strides through targeted initiatives and international collaboration. Programs like those run by GBV Uganda Projects provide essential training and support, empowering individuals to achieve financial independence and stability. Support and funding could be essential in expanding these ongoing initiatives and enhancing their effectiveness. This can potentially ensure progress in combating gender-based violence in the region.

– Rachael Denton-Snape

Rachael is based in High Wycombe, UK and focuses on Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

, ,

Fragility and Rule of Law in El Salvador: Who Bears the Brunt?  

Fragility and Rule of Law in El SalvadorPolitical turbulence and social turmoil have significantly affected El Salvador’s rule of law and institutions. The country’s crime policy intersects with these challenges to reinforce social inequalities, undermining steps taken towards stability and democracy. Here is information about fragility and the rule of law in El Salvador.

Fragility and the Rule of Law in El Salvador

Periods of political instability, including military rule, civil war and ongoing struggles for good governance mark the history of fragility and rule of law in El Salvador. At the centre of these issues lie the country’s governance structures, which demonstrate the centralization of power in the executive branch, leading to minimal checks and balances on the government. Therefore, for El Salvador, nullifying the division of powers has been essential for solidifying authoritarianism.

Consequently, according to the World Bank, governance indicators include: “Voice and Accountability; Political Stability and Absence of Violence/Terrorism; Government Effectiveness; Regulatory Quality; Rule of Law; Control of Corruption,” and in El Salvador, these issues have deteriorated. Regarding these issues, even though President Nayib Bukele took office in 2019 with a growth and anti-corruption agenda, the government with authoritarian tendencies revealed El Salvador’s deteriorating democratic prospects.

Corruption in El Salvador’s government also raises concerns about transparency, accountability and violations of civil liberties. Human rights organizations have revealed cases of arbitrary detentions, torture and other forms of mistreatment, Crisis Group reports.

Poverty, Institutional Fragility and Rule of Law

The poverty rate in El Salvador is one of the highest in Latin America, with 1.8 million Salvadorans living in poverty. Widespread poverty undermines social cohesion and contributes to institutional fragility. The lack of economic opportunities and social services increases the susceptibility of vulnerable communities to exploitation by criminal organizations.

Crime and Punishment

El Salvador faces a range of crime issues, from money laundering to drug trafficking, earning it the title of “the homicide capital of the world” in 2015. The country’s crime policy has historically focused on aggressive law enforcement measures – mano dura or iron-fist policies, which focus on crackdowns on gangs and increased policing.

Although El Salvador’s crime rate plummeted in the following years as the government responded with mano dura policies, there are concerns about the sustainability of the country’s policy response to violence and crime. Marginalized communities, including populations that poverty and violence disproportionately affect, bear the burden of these policies, facing increasing levels of police violence, arbitrary detentions and lack of due process.

The criminalization of poverty has further marginalized vulnerable populations, perpetuating cycles of social exclusion. Marginalized communities, not having access to economic opportunities and social services, often have no choice but to be involved in illicit activities. On that note, mass incarceration negatively impacts families due to parental separation as well as the impacts it generates on the youth such as social stigma, loss of financial support, poor academic performance, increased risk of abuse and increased delinquency. The cycle of poverty and violence leads to deteriorating socioeconomic outcomes, trapping individuals further within it.

Inclusive Policies and Social Justice

The case of fragility and rule of law in El Salvador framed within a discussion of crime policy presents broader problems of authoritarian populism, politics of terror and hegemony as well as the fragility of transitioning to democracy.

Nevertheless, El Salvador’s crime policy succeeded in reducing the crime rate in the country in the short term. Now it is time to focus on long-term solutions to the challenges presented by crime, poverty and social inequality, and in doing so, key priorities should include community-centered approaches, human rights protections, economic empowerment and social justice.

A prime example of this approach is the Youth Employability and Opportunities project which Plan International initiated in El Salvador in 2017. Through this project, young Salvadorans have seen improvements in their socio-economic conditions, with enhanced skills and economic empowerment leading to employment and self-employment opportunities. By generating job opportunities and improving the social fabric, the initiative took successful steps to break the link between youth involvement in crime and socioeconomic disparities in El Salvador.

Human Rights

Following the success of initiatives such as the Youth Employment Solutions project, it is vital to consider the broader framework within which human rights and socio-economic development intersect in El Salvador. One important entity actively involved in addressing these issues is the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), which is crucial in protecting human rights across the Americas. Recently, The IACHR has been making progress in regard to human rights practices in El Salvador. Specifically, the IACHR has focused on the state of emergency declared in the country in March 2022 to combat gang violence, conducting fact-finding missions while also releasing reports that revealed urgent issues such as the removal of constitutional rights and rising cases of arbitrary arrests. Additionally, the commission advocates for vulnerable groups and civil society, urging the government to protect judicial independence and transparent governance in order to protect civil liberties.

– Ilgın Özkul

Ilgın is based in London, UK and focuses on Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr